The column walls
Prisms with five or six sides.
Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rafael Saldaña — CC BY 2.0 · Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Silvana Torres — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rafael Saldaña — CC BY 2.0
The Basaltic Prisms are regular rock columns lining a deep ravine near Huasca de Ocampo in Hidalgo state, with water running through it from the San Antonio Dam. They are among the strangest natural sights near Mexico City, with waterfalls dropping over walls that look built column by column. The ravine was part of the old Santa María Regla Hacienda, and Alexander von Humboldt promoted it in 1803. The columns themselves formed from the slow cooling of basalt lava, which cracked it into many-sided prisms. The natural canyon has been modified with stairs, walkways and hanging bridges for easier access. The columns stand 30 to 50 metres high, each with five or six sides. There are two waterfalls: the higher one is topped up by water diverted from nearby dams, and the lower is called the Cascada de la Rosa. You walk down steps to the floor of the ravine, cross a hanging bridge and feel the spray over the bases of the columns. There are viewing platforms above, along with a garden and green areas for families. The site is 3.3 km in a straight line north of Huasca and 107 km north-east of central Mexico City, a reasonable day trip. The force of the falls follows the water supply and is greater in the rainy season. The steps are wet and slippery, so wear suitable shoes and watch children at the edges. It gets crowded at weekends.
Prisms with five or six sides.
The lower fall on the ravine floor.
A crossing between the walls.
Santa María Regla, Huasca de Ocampo, Hidalgo state
From the slow cooling of basalt lava, which cracked it into regular prisms.
Yes, it is 107 km in a straight line, and many combine it with Huasca.